Thursday, May 08, 2014

Cold War-era nuclear waste is buried at West Lake Landfill, which is adjacent to the Bridgeton Landfill, where underground smoldering has created an odor problem. Many residents also worry about what could happen if the smoldering reaches the nuclear waste, though landfill operators say safeguards will prevent that from happening. Operators are spending millions of dollars build in blockades to keep the smoldering from the nuclear waste, and to address the smell.

The EPA testing comes after Bridgeton residents organized private tests that found high radiation levels in drainage areas near the ball fields. That caused a youth baseball tournament featuring nearly 100 teams to relocate elsewhere in St. Louis County last weekend.

Reader Comments and Retorts

Statements posted here are those of our readers and do not represent the BaseballThinkFactory. Names are provided by the poster and are not verified. We ask that posters follow our submission policy. Please report any inappropriate comments.

I was curious to know what type of radioactive waste was put into this landfill. From the Wikipedia entry on West Lake Landfill:

Landfilling at the site began in the 1950s.[7] In 1973, B&K Construction Co., a company contracted by Cotter Corporation, dumped 8,700 tons of leached barium sulfate and 39,000 tons of soil at the landfill.[1][5][6] The leached barium sulfate was a byproduct of Mallinckrodt Chemical Works’ uranium enrichment program as a part of the Manhattan Project and later nuclear weapon production.